President Obama plans to announce three cabinet-level nominations Monday, including a new administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency, who could be on the hotseat in the looming battle over global warming.

Washington sure isn't making it easy" for the American people and the American economy, President Obama told reporters late Friday morning as he and other lawmakers failed to reach a deal to avert $85 billion worth of automatic "sequester" spending cuts due to start at the end of the day Friday.